Greek Island Red Mullet Recipe (Savoro)

Savoro is a traditional Greek island dish of pan-fried red mullet served with a sweet-and-sour vinegar sauce, with garlic, onions, raisins, and rosemary.

This red mullet recipe is made mostly on the Aegean and Ionian islands with slight variations. This is the Ionian island version made with raisins instead of Grape Molasses (Petimezi), which is what they use on some Aegean islands to make Savoro.

Table Of Contents

• What Is Savoro?
• The Flavor
• How To Make
• What Fish To Use
• Serve With
• Recipe

What Is Savoro?

Making Savoro was a way of preserving fish in the past. Sailors used it to preserve their fish catch for a few days. The fish was coated in plenty of the vinegar sauce and served as a Meze with some spirit like Ouzo, Tsipouro, or wine.

Today, Savoro is served as a main dish with a smaller amount of that vinegary sauce drizzled over the fried fish.

You May Also Like: Pan-Seared Red Snapper With Capers

The Flavor

This dish is pretty sourish and vinegary with flavors of sweet raisins, garlic, and fresh rosemary. The sauce of Savoro is pretty strong-flavored. The good thing, though, is that the sauce is served over the fish. Therefore, you can add as much of it as you prefer, according to your liking.

What balances the acidity and sourness of the vinegar in the sauce is the sweetness of the raisins and onions. However, you can add a teaspoon of sugar or a tablespoon of honey to the sauce as well. Or a tablespoon or two of Petimezi (Grape Molasses) for extra sweetness.

How To Make

To make Savoro, first pan-fry the red mullets by coating them in flour and searing in hot olive oil until deep golden and crisp. Next, remove the fish, set aside on paper towels, and in the same pan, make the sauce.

Saute the onion and garlic, and then add the rosemary and raisins. Pour in red wine vinegar and cook over low heat until the sauce reduces. Serve the fish with the warm sauce drizzled on top.

What Fish To Use

Savoro is traditionally made with Barbounia or Kotsomoures, both of which are part of the same family, named Red Mullet. This type of fish is best for Savoro because they have a natural sweetness similar to shrimp. And it's that sweetness that contrasts with the sourness of the vinegar and yields a delicious combination.

I wouldn't suggest making it with other types of fish. However, other types of seafood like squid, cuttlefish, and octopus taste great cooked this way. With slight differences in cooking, though.

For example, after pan-frying the squid and cuttlefish, remove them from the pan, make the sauce, and then transfer them back to the pan to cook inside the sauce and soften even further.

Whereas, the octopus needs to be boiled until softened first, and then pan-fried and cooked in the sauce.

Serve With

Serve Barbounia Savoro (Pan-Fried Red Mullet) with some Skordalia (Garlic + Potato Dip), Greek Fava (Yellow Split Peas Dip), Greek Horta (Mixed Greens), Vlita (Amaranth Greens), or a simple Greek Potato Salad.

Recipe